DISCLAIMER: PoTO belongs to ALW, Leroux, Kay, et al. Gabrielle belongs to me. Psh. What a trade, huh?

Review replies at the bottom...I may make a habit of this! And sorry that this chapter is short. But if I added in the next section, it would have made the chapter too long, so I had to break it up a bit.

The rehearsals for Don Juan Triumphant began as planned. It was a rather hodge-podge excuse for a rehearsal: the dancers were a mess, and the singers merely stood, or paced around the stage as they sang. They did not have any costumes yet. Carlotta, who had been cast in the male role of Passarino, was wearing an oversized pair of riding breeches, and whined incessantly.

"MAH!" she would cry out when she felt that the composer could not hear her. "La Carlotta does not play men!"

Gabrielle, the production's Aminta, made due with a red dress she had found in the costume closet. The only one who had dressed for their part even remotely was Erik.

"That was satisfactory," he said boredly after running through the entire thing once standing in the foyer. "But you, Signora," he said disdainfully to Carlotta. "Cannot keep that blank expression on your face the entire time. We will do this again, on the stage."

He swept into the main theatre, with everyone else shuffling along after him.

"That won't be possible." Carlotta said haughtily. "We 'aven't done any blocking."

He turned around and glared at her, causing everyone to jump backwards slightly. "Did I not specifically state that you were to be prepared?" he said in a low voice.

"Monsieur, please," Meg said quietly from her place among the other dancers. "We thought we were ready. You never said—"

"Very well," he snapped. "We shall improvise…" He glared pointedly at Carlotta. "And you, Passarino, had best hope that I do not step on your clumsy feet." Gabrielle laughed slightly, knowing full well that it was she who had the tendency to slip at the most inopportune times, and not Carlotta. Erik glanced at her slightly, and quite nearly smiled before he steadied himself.

Their second run-through on stage went fairly well, apart from a few bumped elbows, up until the end of the first act, the meeting between Aminta and Don Juan. Madame Giry, who had been supervising the entire thing, felt compelled to take Gabrielle away before that scene, but knew it would not be possible.

Passarino, go away, for the trap is set, and waits for his prey…

Gabrielle looked up, suddenly enthralled by the voice she heard as though she did not know its source. With every note and every line, she became further and further swallowed up by the sheer power lying beneath Erik's voice. For at least that moment, she was Aminta. It did not matter that she had immersed herself in fiction, only that this fiction had consumed her mind…

You have brought me to that moment where words run dry…

To that moment when speech disappear into silence…silence…

She looked directly into the eyes of her Don Juan as she sang, and they truly did improvise their movements, moving across the unfurnished set in a game of cat and mouse, ending their serenade with their hands intertwined. The scaffolding and loose floorboards seemed to disappear, as the scene, by all other means, was exactly as it should have been.

Erik cleared his throat and stepped away. "Better." he said, giving a curt nod. "You, Mademoiselle Clairmont, have at least come to take your role seriously. The rest of you will rehearse every day until I am satisfied. Back to work"

Gabrielle was about to walk away and join the rest of the cast when he took a hold on the crook of her arm, more gently than usual. "You, Gabrielle, will rehearse with me." He swept her off with him so that they were standing in her room, away from the remainder of the cast's hustling to following his orders.

"Sing." he said simply as he shut the door behind them.

"Excuse me?" she asked, her eyes widening. "Again?"

"You will be singing my opera. Therefore, you will be perfect." he said bluntly. Gabrielle nodded in comprehension and opened her mouth. The voice which she let out was still the same she always had, but lacked any passion as her eyes were locked inextricably to the floor. "To me, not your slippers." Erik chided. Gabrielle looked up, and now her eyes wandered, drifting to rest anywhere but on Erik, but her voice sounded no different. Erik looked rather impatient for a moment, listening to his young protégée with a pained expression. "Tell me, are you just trying to be considerate of Signora Carlotta's feelings?" he snapped suddenly. Gabrielle stopped singing and looked at him, not sure what to make of his question. "You're holding back."

"No, I'm not!" Gabrielle retorted. "I'm doing the best I can!"

"You think you are." He said simply. "But you can do far better. I've heard you do far better. Come here." He took her by the hand and led her in front of the large mirror in her room. He wrapped one arm around her so that his palm put pressure on her abdomen. His other hand tilted her chin upward. "Look yourself in the eye." Gabrielle did as she was told, not sure whether or not to relish his touch or recoil from it. Instead, she stared intently at her reflection, filled now with an urge to prove herself.

"I don't see the point of this." She said weakly.

"Do it." He said flatly. Gabrielle conceded, tilting her chin up with a fair amount of annoyance and resentment. "Very good. Now, sing."

Gabrielle inhaled deeply, more deeply than she had before, then let her voice venture forth from the place where Erik placed his hand. She continued, barely recognizing the sound, even less so believing that it came from her.

"Better." He replied simply, pulling his hands away.

"Thank you," she muttered, her gaze downcast once again.

"You're thinking of something." He stated, rounding on her once again. "You know by now that you do not hide anything from me."

"I'm not hiding anything." Gabrielle said. Her voice sounded lower now, more dismal than it had ever sounded before.

"You do not lie to me either." He said knowingly. "You don't die from asking questions, you know."

"Of course I know that. You die from getting the answers to questions you shouldn't have asked in the first place." She retorted. There was silence for a while, as neither of them could find an appropriate way to continue. "Why are you like this?" she finally asked.

"I don't know what on earth you're talking about." He said stonily.

"Monsieur," she said gently, "You told me that I was to be completely honest with you. If you would only do the same, that would be enough to be getting on with."

"What have I told you about calling me 'monsieur?'" he asked. Gabrielle allotted herself a short laugh at this. "I believe…that this is quite enough for today."

Sorry that I might not reply to all my reviewers. Just keep reviewing, though! Hee.

Ophira Holmes, I've always been amused by how Carlotta acted, especially when she's flaunting herself over her competition. If she wasn't so darn annoying, she'd be my hero, haha.

Diana-Lupin, Glad you like my Erik so far...and how he reacts to Anton...Are you a Harry Potter fan, by any chance? Just judging by your username, hee.

Angeloftheoperahouse, little too much java? It's all good. Nothing wrong with a tiny spot of caffeine once in a while. I write my best on a caffeine high! haha.

KensDragonet, I've followed your instructions and update! Don't hurt me!

An Anti-Sheep Cheese Muffin, i love your username! Anyhoo, yeah, Gabrielle does clash with Erik quite a bit, doesn't she?

Marianne Brandon, I love trying to write notes from Erik, and that last one was the funnest to write, because it's so similar to the ones in the musical/movie.

Ta, lovers!